Fast v. Kennewick Public Hospital District

354 P.3d 858, 188 Wash. App. 43
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 2, 2015
DocketNo. 31509-6-III
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 354 P.3d 858 (Fast v. Kennewick Public Hospital District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fast v. Kennewick Public Hospital District, 354 P.3d 858, 188 Wash. App. 43 (Wash. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

[45]*45[As amended by order of the Court of Appeals July 28, 2015.]

Siddoway, C.J.

¶1 The Benton County Superior Court granted summary judgment dismissing Shane and Jamie Fast’s action seeking to recover damages for personal injury to Ms. Fast and the wrongful death of the couple’s viable unborn son, Robert, which they attribute to the professional negligence of Dr. Adam Smith, Dr. Gregory Schroff, and the doctors’ employer, the Kennewick Public Hospital District. The Fasts had proceeded with their lawsuit as if the claims for Robert’s death and Ms. Fast’s personal injury were both subject to the statute of limitations for injuries resulting from health care, RCW 4.16.350, which could be tolled for a year by a good faith request for mediation. On that basis— having served such a request — they filed suit more than three years after Robert’s death.

¶2 The trial court concluded that the health care statute of limitations does not apply to a wrongful death claim, with the result that the running of the statute of limitations on that claim was not tolled. It also concluded that the Fasts had failed to comply with the statutory requirement to file a claim for damages with a local government entity (here, the hospital district) before commencing litigation against the entity or its employees, and on that basis dismissed the Fasts’ claims based on Ms. Fast’s injuries as well.

¶3 Division Two of this court held in 1990 that the limitations statute applicable to a wrongful death action is the general tort limitations statute, RCW 4.16.080(2), rather [46]*46than the health care limitations statute. Wills v. Kirkpatrick, 56 Wn. App. 757, 785 P.2d 834 (1990). The Fasts’ efforts to distinguish their claims from those in Wills or to convince this division to reject Division Two’s analysis are unpersuasive.

¶4 We agree with the Fasts, however, that the defendants are not eligible to assert the defense of the Fasts’ failure to present a prefiling notice of claim under RCW 4.96.010 and RCW 4.96.020(4) in light of the hospital’s failure to comply with its own obligations under that section.

¶5 We affirm the dismissal of the Fasts’ claim for the wrongful death of Robert, reverse the dismissal of the Fasts’ claims for Ms. Fast’s injuries, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

¶6 Jamie and Shane Fast’s unborn son Robert (gestational age 28 weeks) died in útero in August 2008. The Fasts attribute his death to the failure of health care providers to timely recognize and act on the risk that Ms. Fast would develop gestational diabetes.

¶7 Almost three years after Robert’s death, the Fasts, individually and on behalf of Robert, served a written good faith request for mediation on Dr. Adam Smith, Dr. Gregory Schroff, and the hospital that employed them, the Kennewick Public Hospital District. Under chapter 7.70 RCW, entitled “Actions for Injuries Resulting from Health Care,” the filing of a good faith request for mediation tolls the health care statute of limitations, RCW 4.16.350, for one year. RCW 7.70.110.

¶8 The defendants expressed no interest in mediating, and eventually, on July 18,2012, the Fasts commenced legal action against Dr. Smith, Dr. Schroff, and the hospital by filing a complaint. The Fasts characterized the action as one “for injuries resulting from healthcare under RCW [47]*47Chapter 7.70,” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 2 (Compl. ¶ 1.2), but they also sought to recover “for injury or death of a child ... brought pursuant to the laws of the State of Washington to include ... RCW 4.24.010.” CP at 7-8 (Compl. ¶ 5.1). On the same day they filed the complaint, the Fasts filed with the court a completed form, entitled “Standard Tort Claim Form,” that had been promulgated by Washington State for use in filing notices of claim against the State with the Department of Enterprise Services in Olympia. In a “supplemental response” section of the form, the Fasts’ lawyer stated, “This Standard Tort Form is not required for this cause. The Claimants, however, offer this Standard Tort Form as a courtesy and convenience to Respondent.” CP at 281. A copy of the standard tort claim form was not served on the hospital until August 1; copies were mailed to lawyers for Dr. Smith and Dr. Schroff, who accepted service for their clients on August 3 and September 12, respectively.

¶9 Several months later, the three defendants moved for summary judgment dismissal of the complaint on grounds that the Fasts failed to comply with the local government tort claim statute, RCW 4.96.020, which requires that claimants give 60 days’ notice before filing suit against a local governmental entity. Alternatively, they argued that the wrongful death claim was barred by the statute of limitations.

¶10 In resisting summary judgment, the Fasts initially argued that they were not asserting a “wrongful death” claim because they were not relying on the right of action created by chapter 4.20 RCW, which creates a statutory right of recovery for “the death of a person ... caused by the wrongful act, neglect, or default of another.” RCW 4.20.010. They challenged the defendants’ right to raise the Fasts’ failure to present a prefiling notice of claim as a defense, presenting evidence that the hospital had not made available the form or instructions on how to present it as required by RCW 4.96.020(3)(c). Alternatively, they argued that they had substantially complied with chapter 4.96 RCW.

[48]*48¶11 In supplemental briefing, the Fasts affirmed that they asserted the statutory claim for the wrongful death of a child provided by RCW 4.24.010 but argued that following the enactment of chapter 7.70 RCW and the related health care statute of limitations at RCW 4.16.350 in 1976, a statutory claim for the death of a child falls within the ambit of a “civil action for damages for injury occurring as a result of health care.” They argued that it is subject to the health care limitations period, which had been tolled for a year by their service of a good faith request for mediation. They also challenged the constitutionality of the prefiling notice of claim requirement imposed by chapter 4.96 RCW

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
354 P.3d 858, 188 Wash. App. 43, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fast-v-kennewick-public-hospital-district-washctapp-2015.